Fluff compilation

[Anastasia]

Miscellania from the Crusade against Hell:

1. The various options to get to and from Hell were each reasonably difficult. Mechanus would've been primarily an RP and diplomacy challenge, while Acheron was a combat and army oriented one.

Mechanus would have involved layers and layers of intrigue, maneuvering and diplomacy to get your aim. While the main side would be your arguments versus Mechanus and almost certain diabolical counter arguments against a Duke of Hell would be the main thrust of it, other factions would get involved over time. Other celestials from Arcadia and Celestia would argue AGAINST your plan, as they'd feel it would leave their realms open to the same sort of violation. A third party would argue in your favor, one who is a paid advocate of certain daemonic and demonic elements who would love for the treaties of Mechanus to loosen.

Success would have let you use the portal but started an immediate fight, and a counter argument in Mechanus to allow a diabolical army passage to Celestia as a quid pro quo counter attack.

2. The Terror Cube was going to be more expansive in the first draft, but I figured that you guys would make the connection to a Borg Cube early on. While this wasn't the inspiration for the Terror Cube, I knew that it would provide more flavor for it than I could offer in a short fight-through.  So I focused on the battles instead as well as the coolness of hijacking it to your own ends. I think it worked out well.

3. Valydeos was loosely based on the original art for the Paeliryon, as seen here: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/designdev_Paeliryon.jpg Seriously, why the hell make one of the highest ranking normal devils look like fat cross-dressers? I really, really, really loathe that design from top to bottom.

4. The march across Avernus being unopposed for most of it was an intentional gambit by the devils. Obvious enough there, right? I figure there were a few random encounters despite you guys not dealing with any; at your position a random fiendish  animal or minor devils just aren't going to be kicked up that far for you to deal with. I do wish I'd sold the fireballs a little more, though.

5. Natara is from the Gates of Hell, book 5. I adapted her to Balmuria as I really like her character. Interesting girl that one, reminds me a bit of Knight from Planar. I feel bad that she was demoted to mid-boss status, but so it goes. At your level, fighting a mere legend isn't that big a deal. For the Supreme Legion, it was the day that the vaunted Major Natara was slain on the fields of Avernus. For you guys, it was just another encounter.

Natara and Antenora are very much alike; if the battle had gone on a little longer, Antenora wanted a chance to talk to her. She sensed a bit of a kindred spirit, even if it was mostly wishful thinking.

6. Agares was badly nerfed by the Evergold water. He was a mid 20s CR boss designed to lock down a party if not interrupted in his entropy gathering. If you guys had taken longer he could have very likely TPKed Alicia and Seira.  You were on an invisible time limit with Malice, but you cleared it with effort to spare.

[Anastasia]

This section will get some tweaks and revisions for sure.

This is a general cosmology commentary on the more active parts of Creation. This seeks to redefine what you know and clear up various misconceptions. Besides, I need a project to relax.

Chapter 1: Baator

Alternate Names: The Nine Hells, Hell, Perdition, The Pit.

Changes from the canon: A whole lot. Two sources influence Balmuria's Baator, the Fiendish Codex 2 and the Gates of Hell.

Notable NPCs aligned to Baator: Antenora(formerly), The Lords of the Nine, Agares, the various Dukes and Archdukes of Hell, Eblis(formerly), Verrier.

Summary: Baator is the nine-tiered home of Lawful Evil and the devil race. It is a society of might, power and cruelty. In it's enslavement all will be brought low and into the Pit. Such is the absolute will of Hell, which every devil strives for in the service of Hell. Those of Baator believe themselves superior, and devils believe themselves superior to all other races.

---

Layers and notable devils:

Powers of Hell Overview: It should be noted here that the Archdukes of Hell have Divine Rank 0, while the Lords of the Nine have full divine rank of varying levels. The FC2 stats for them should not be considered. Since this is an epic level game that should be a given anyway.  Also, assume that any listing of dukes within the FC2 is inaccurate unless stated otherwise, as the Gates of Hell material generally supersedes.

Power structures: There are two main power blocks in Hell: The Fallen of Belial and Baazlebub and formerly Zariel, and the True Devils of Mephisto and Dispater and formerly Mammon. Bel stands alone for now, a new lord that few trust, though some suspect he'll end up with the true devils eventually.  Mammon lies in disgrace, having betrayed his former allies to save his skin during a previous power shakeup. Levistus is imprisoned, the ally of no one. Glasya is newly risen and ignoring offers of alliance, her own true motives completely hidden from all but herself.

1: Avernus.  Avernus basic is essentially as it is presented in the Fiendish Codex 2, though the names and flavor vary much more towards the Gates of Hell. It is an infernal battleground, where the combined forces of lawful evil oppose the ravages of the Abyss. The numbers are generally understated in the FC2 - combat in Avernus is between armies of devils against vast hordes of demons, not to mention whatever else gets involved. Legion names, types and so forth favor the Gates of Hell rather than anything in the FC2. For example, Abigor runs the Supreme Legion, versus another devil running a differently named legion in the FC2.

Besides Bel's very basic history and the  few mentions of Zariel, the notes of various notable devils there are entirely inaccurate. The Gates of Hell Duke/Archduke/Lord of the Nine structure is used instead. Duke Abigor leads much of the defense of Avernus, Duke Malphas is the Infernal Armor-master who also has a big stake in Hellfire and so on. There are outcasts devils in Avernus, mostly semi-exiled Archdukes and fugitives that have chosen not to leave Baator. Finally, the exact history of Bel is uncertain. It is known that he overthrew Zariel and is said to hold Zariel in bondage. Beyond that it's unclear, though it is generally known he was a superb leader in the Blood War before his Lordship.

2: Dis.  Dis is essentially as presented in the FC2 barring one notable exception. God Street does not exist, all true powers have their own realms or reside in the realms of their superiors.  A devil with divine rank would be an Archduke, an outcast devil or a Hellspawn, none of which would have them within Dispater's realm.  Everything else is more or less accurate, though it should be noted few reach deeply within the Iron Tower, and reports of what truly lies inside vary.

Dispater is more or less as presented in the FC2. However, he has an obsession with effort and enriching himself. He is not Mammon, but he relishes his underlings pursuing pointless labor. It is said that a gang of soul shells travels down a road and paves it, and as they finish, another game comes along to begin tearing it apart once more. This defers to the Gates of Hell Dispater, though it's not a huge difference as much as elaborating on what he is and his tendencies. As for other devils, it is known that Titivilus is the Herald of Dispater. He is not his Nuncio, but the difference is minimal.

3. Minaros. This section has minimal to no changes.

Mammon is more or less as presented in personality. His true form is not that of a golden serpent, but as a corpulent, golden fiend of incredible wealth, decadence and greed. Generally the Gates of Hell material about his is preferred, simply because it's far more in depth. He is served by Dukes such as Scax and Melcholm, who have both been mentioned within Balmuria.

4. Phlegethos. This material is essentially intact. It should be noted the Lake of Fire and Brimstone is guarded by far more than 9 cornugons, the FC2 seriously lowballed that.

Belial and Fierna favor their Gates of Hell incarnations. This does make Belial a Fallen as stated above, though this fact is known by very few anymore. His station isn't quite as secure as the Gates of Hell indicates, Fierna is a dangerous foe but also a bit more like her FC2 portrayal. Belial is served by Dukes such as Rosier, a Fallen Planetar. In general, many Fallen for the sins of lust and the flesh end up under Belial's thrall.

5. Stygia. This material has been used wholesale within Balmuria.  No real changes.

Levistus is detailed further within the Gates of Hell, but neither material generally contradicts each other. It should be noted that Agares was a Duke of Stygia with a far different focus, rather than the land oriented Duke of Malbolge.

6. Malbolge. The FC2 material supersedes here entirely. There is no Lilith as the Lord of Malbolge; Glasya rules instead. It is possible there is an Archduke or exiled devil Lilith kicking around somewhere, but she would not be akin to her Gates of Hell incarnation.

Glasya prefers her Gates of Hell incarnation, albeit that she has a new edge over her brother, the Archduke of Undeath Lixer. How this affects their relationship is not currently known, nor how it affects other plots. The Dukes of Hell and Archdukes for Malbolge can be assumed to be essentially the same, though with possible serious alterations to compensate for Glasya's rule.

7.  Maladomini.  Pretty much everything fits.

Baazlebub does not have a slug-like form, though common misconception(Said to be spread by Mephisto or other enemies) does spread this lie about. His true form is that as described in the Gates of Hell, in general that material is completely supreme. I distinctly prefer it to a slug-like Baazlebub, while not entirely flagrant about it, the material seen IC for Baazlebub favors this.

8. Cania. Hellfire and the School of Hellfire does exist in Caina. However, it is part of the greater Academia Caniae lead by Duke Murmur. It is one of many projects Mephisto has, not his only gambit. Duke Malphas of Avernus has a stake in Hellfire as well, the exact agreement and workings of this dark alliance are not fully clear.

Mephisto is his Gates of Hell incarnation entirely. I find GoH Mephistopheles infinitely more compelling as an enemy and a rival to Asmodeus than FC2 Mephistopheles.  The general gelugon population is hostile to the Hellfire project, but they have not been entirely chased out of Mephistar. Mephisto is served by Dukes of Hell such as Murmur.

9. Nessus. Little of Nessus is known. What truly lies at the bottom of the Pit is a question that many pray will never be answered.

[Anastasia]

The Tarrasque

The Tarrasque is a destroyer of nations, a render of the earth, a slayer of all. Contrary to popular myth is it known that more than one exists. Be they clones, siblings, or from some sort of faraway place where they are born naturally is not known. Creation stories of them vary wildly. Some blame the Elemental Evils for them, though legends conflict on which one created such a horror. A few place the blame on Ogremoch, while others blame Imix. However, a lack of obvious evidence and disagreement does lessen this claim. Another is that they come from Baator. In fact it is known that devils have claimed this. However, this claim is not well accepted in general. The Tarrasque is simply not Baator's style. Others blame Shar or Talos, though the claims of these legends are older yet.

The tarrasque is an engine of massacre. It's bite swallows you whole, often reaving off limbs if you happen to survive. It heals wounds capable of slaying a demi-power within a few rounds and is resistant to all but epic weapons. Most effects such as energy drain or ability damage fail, and it's shell reflects cones, rays and lines of effect. It is immune to fire and highly resistant to other elements. In addition it's keen sense of smell allows it to locate invisible, displaced or hidden foes with unerring accuracy, though oftentimes it simply tramples them over so it hardly matters. While slightly slow moving, it can make infrequent rushes that cover vast amounts of ground at once.

To destroy the tarrasque you must manage to subdue it. No known damage deals lethal harm to it. Once subdued, a wish or a miracle must be employed to ensure it never rises again. Otherwise, it will regenerate, even if reduced to nothingness.  Even weapons that bypass it's damage reduction don't defeat it's regeneration. If slain, it's said that it's shell and blood can be forged into a trio of shields, while it's flesh can be boiled in liquid adamantine to produce a potion that will grant vast amounts of natural resistance to the imbiber.

It should be noted that the Tarrasque is not a particularly intelligent foe. Nor can it entirely explain all of the Destroyer's behavior. In particular, it's near supernatural ability to hunt down those who violate it's realm does not fit with any of the legends at all.

[Anastasia]

What this boils down to is: Create a ruleset that doesn't need to give the heroes special, extra mechanics to win. I've never been a fan of those. I probably overstated my opinion here, though.

    I liked the idea to be able to pull something out after you fail.


As far as D&D goes, I've never particularly cared for anything like this. I think it comes down to me being old school; you pass or fail the roll and that's that. It annoys my basic sense of fairness when the PCs get to ignore this rule with action points. The dice are the dice; everyone lives with them and dies with them. I dislike Hellreaver's AC and save booster for the same reason, it's why when I control Antenora she almost never uses them.

On a related tangent, I hate the argument that asserts that the PCs should have these because they're the PCs. Bullshit. Yeah, you're the focus of the stories and nothing is wrong with that. At the same time, you don't need to be magical unique snowflakes who get their own set of rules because they're special. PCs are special, but it's because they're being controlled by players and the focus because of that, not because they get special rules and exceptions. I really loathe 4e's resurrection rules for the same reason. Alicia's special because she redeemed Antenora and has opposed Hell dozens of times. Seira's special because she's completed her transformation and defended the Baronies. It's this and other reasons that make them special, not extra-special-unique twisting of the rules so they can do that. It's doing that on even ground that makes them so special, dammit. When the rules hand the players special exceptions and special gifts, it dilutes all the heroism they do. After all, couldn't the bad guys win if they had the same perks? Hell, I'd rather root for the bad guys then, since they're the underdogs!

Of course, this means the bad guys can win. Is this a good thing for the game? Well, it is game over if the party wipes out. On the other hand, if there's no risk of defeat, what's the point of playing? You may as well go diceless and write a collaborative fanfic instead.  If you can't accept the basic tenet of being at risk of losing, then I don't think you're cut out for this sort of game.

[Anastasia]

    Were there any traitors in our midst besides the far-too-adorable-to-ever-suspect Marigold?


First of all, various immigrants were loosely spying on you for the powers they came from. The Heavens of all stripes were keeping tabs on Sylica and the various Princes of Elemental Good were doing the same with Seira. This wasn't malicious spying insomuch as assessing new powers.  If Sylica merged with Dweomerheart or became it's own layer of Elysium, that would be a gigantic planar shift. It's best for everyone involved to know what they're getting before that, and be able to act if something's afoul. In the case of the Cauldron, Seira made a lot of grand promises to the Elemental Princes. They were naturally inclined to keep track of Seira, her progress and if she looks capable of fulfilling her goals.

Helm was keeping his eyes on both realms, but wasn't using direct spies. He has too much on his plate with Kelemvor. He wasn't willing to risk the political fallout of two new powers he had reasonably good impressions with until his plate was clear.

Lathander is keeping an eye on Seira through Valar. What Seira was never told is that Lathander directly contacted Valar(He may have alluded to this happening, I forget, but none of the rest) and gave him instructions. Lathander sees a lot of himself in Seira, but at the same time also sees a bit of a authoritarian streak. He likes her but isn't quite sure what to make of her. Valar is an important piece in his plans elsewhere, but he went with the moment and sacrificed him for position with Seira. This isn't really Lathander's style, but the plan fell into his lap premade and he went with it. Lathander has serious impulse control issues as I'm sure you've noticed.

Sharess has an interest in Sylica and a passing fancy to try and shift it more towards chaos and good. Odds are this won't last but a few decades before she gets bored of it. In any event her spies are minimal, she's inclined to make an obvious move of chatting up Syala and Alicia instead. Syala has an idea that Sharess is at this game, but hadn't said anything yet since she wasn't sure. While Syala didn't think Alicia would take it the wrong way, she didn't see a reason to risk a pointless argument over it.

As for actual enemies? I hadn't decided on a new batch after the entire G'renna/Marigold arc. I was going to choose some soon and start dropping subtle hints and build up to it. I'd rather focus on establishment and external threats than spies for the moment.

Quote

    Who was actually trying to off Obi?


Short answer: Pale Night but it's fucking complicated.

Long version: Pale Night is pissed at the party and the Crimson Guard. I don't need to say why, do I? Using mind altering magic and resources she set it up to look like a diabolical agent sabotaged a demonic cult. The portal to Avernus was in fact a highly cloaked portal to her throne. Fortunately this was never used and things worked out.  The entire thing was a huge, rambling and completely apeshit insane scheme on her part to get vengeance. Being an impossibly old demon lends itself to all sorts of madness.

The other part of this gambit is Zquujaj.  He was contacted by Pale Night while he fought amid many for control of Androlynne. By contact I mean that she revealed part of her incomprehensible essence to him, driving him yet further mad. He is to become a servant of hers, twisted entirely to insane chaos and free of the last vestiges of his baatezu heritage.  Further she would be able to annul the bonds he crafted to forswear antagonism to the Crimson Guard. He was going to be the big enemy of that storyline if it went forward. In the meantime he'd be recreating Androlynne in his image.

Incidentally there would be a chance than Athux would come into conflict with Zquujaj as two newly re-purposed layers change for new masters. This would lead to an extra-pissy Graz'zt getting involved though mostly as a background force and provocateur. He wants revenge on Athux for taking Greenrot for his own, but Athux's apotheosis into an Abyssal Lord made this dicey. When you toss in Graz'zt own obligations in both the Blood War and against Demogorgon/Orcus, his chances of nipping it in the bud bottomed out. Abyssal politics would become involved and well...those are messy.

Quote

    Who bought Beth's soul? (I never really cared but Esthan offered it out like it was something meaningful so might as well know)


I forget the exact name but it was an agent of Mephistopheles. The Lord of Cania is running a whole hell of a lot of gambits involving the party as you've begun to see lately. (How much Baazlebub was telling the truth is a question that is begged by this answer, but I'll hold my tongue on that for a moment.)

[Anastasia]

Odds and ends I can talk about now:

Helm vs Kelemvor

As you noticed there was  a low simmering blow up cooking between the two powers. The creation of the Well of Souls was not something Kelemvor could tolerate, no matter how Shar had managed to pervert his own workings. While Kelemvor is entirely aware that there is a greater enemy, ignoring another power taking some of his portfolio is akin to divine suicide. Now Helm was trying to angle it so that the obligations of the greater good would ultimately stay Kelemvor's hand. Would it? It was coming close to a head either way, Kelemvor forced his way in to meet Demedais. While he approves of Demedais personally, this isn't enough to quite quell his dissatisfaction.

I hadn't quite decided if a full blow divine war would erupt. Helm had a solid gambit but this is a damned hard pill for Kelemvor to swallow. Unless Helm backed down and started playing nicer, he was leaning towards war. I wasn't quite sure if Helm would, he wanted to maintain this toehold into Death as he shifted into full on Lawful Good. He was becoming a Greater Power and replacing the fallen Torm, so more power is a good thing for him right now. Incidentally this is why he was around Celestia a lot, he was making friends, courting allies and preparing. The House of the Triad was going to move to Celestia in due time to cement it's complete shift into ordered righteousness. Being on good terms with the Hebdomad is only logical in that case.

Now if the war did break out? It would be nasty but mostly a background thing for you unless you intervened directly. After some time you'd have a chance to get involved, as Demedais would ask a favor as the war spiraled out of control. Up to you guys if you wanted to get involved or let it play out. I had no idea who would win if it wasn't interfered with, though who knows there? Open warfare between the churches of Kelemvor and Helm would -not- be a good thing for anyone, let alone if related powers get involved. The cults of Jergal probably would, as would the other members of the Triad. Worse, Torm might butt his nose in just because, and Helm could call in a favor from the partially risen Talos if things get hairy.

Helm really didn't want that war but was willing to risk it. Kelemvor really didn't want the war but couldn't stand his portfolio being poached.  It's as simple as that.

As a final note, if Tai ever rejoined the game I'd have Kelemvor pull a fait accompli and manage to take over the Well of Souls, giving Deme DAS BOOT.

[Anastasia]

Was Malmuth going to collapse?

Yeah, it was probably going to the scrap heap. Short of Seira personally propping things up long term the damage done was too severe. A series of weak rulers, then losing the border territories to independence hurt. Having Ferdi rev up the kingdom for a grand invasion, lose and have the Empire lose another hunk of land to the Baronies? Ouch. Critical hit. She be wobbling, captain! The attack of the Dark Six was simply too much to bear in this state. While you guys prevented the worst of the humanitarian disaster, the political damage was widespread. Queen Tant is a capable ruler yet the wounds of Malmuth run deep. The Vitalist movement is a convenient name given to several loosely connected independence and splintering sentiments, grouped together by one spreading, main ideological point.

You'd see three to half a dozen kingdom-lets spring up from the Malmuthian empire, with perhaps a rump Malmuth remaining. How these matters went from there is anyone's guess, as well as the exact boundaries. No matter how it worked out, the United Baronies were going to be the main power in the area. Defeating the Empire and being the economic powerhouse of the region ensues that, it's only a question of how much control is going to be exerted. Commander Oberuth was inclined to try and prevent serious civil war(s) from occurring, and privately he suspected that in 50-100 years the United Baronies would be Malmuth with a different name and capital city.

Fundamentally the Vitalist movement was independent of any outer planar influence. It was entirely organic, the result of the current zeitgeist and nothing more. While a few powers were muddying around in it, the tide of history was one largely of mortal making. There was no grand diabolical plan or a God pulling all the strings. This was simply cause and effect, nothing more and nothing less. If anyone is to be blamed it's probably Tymora, since the Empire had bad break after bad break.  Alternately you can blame yourselves if you want. Killing Ferdi may have saved a huge war, but the aftereffects doomed Malmuth.

[Anastasia]

What was with Jessica's baby?

This one's easy. The firstborn of Jessica/Roald, Syala/Alicia and Antenora/Marie was going to be the first of Sylica's Chosen. The Chosen were going to be the unique outsiders of Sylica. Three(It's always three) children to lead those who exemplify the ideals of Sylica, yeah? I'm sure you're asking yourself: What caused this to happen? The answer's simply that as one of the outer planes, Sylica is a land of belief, faith and magic. This happens by the nature of the land Syala and Alicia created together. Three children because three is a number of power, secrets and truth. It's always three.

I hadn't fully statted out the chosen of Sylica, but I did do a beta. I modeled them around Astral Devas, as that's the power level I wanted for them typical chosen. The three children would become much more powerful in time.  Here it is for your perusal:

[Anastasia]

I hadn't decided if she'd try to run yet. As for the rest? She was certainly principled, though I shy away from using the phrase zealot due to it's negative connotations.  The problem with Elanabell and by extension the entire Kesse situation is a deeply fundamental disconnect between Seira and the rest of the realm. Let me try and explain this by analogy. Let's say in March of '45 God sends down some angels to stop WW2. They proclaim that Germany must not be occupied, and that it's time for a peace of coexistence. Germany gets it's '39 borders back and no occupation at all. How do you imagine the Russians or the Allies would have reacted to this?

To the peoples of Sanaxt and Evrai, that was exactly how they saw you. They saw a force unjustly protecting a vile enemy that had committed an atrocity on them. A meddler who was perverting the natural outcome of justice to a scale that cannot be easily comprehended? That was you in their eyes. Only implicit force prevented an all out war. Elanabell's attitude towards you is a distillation of this sentiment. You're an outsider who's fucked up everything and is protecting the villains.  You're a perversion of justice, nature and what should have happened. So yeah, in a lot of eyes over there you're the Bane, the Asmodeus, the Cyric.

Does this make Seira evil? Nah. She was genuinely working for good, but at the same time, this doesn't mean that the other nations and malcontents didn't have a valid reason to oppose her. The morality of the situation was supremely fucked up to the nth degree. It's not a situation of a single good guy or bad guy like it probably would be on your side of the world. There's a lot of shades of gray involved in everything here. There were no good or bad guys here as much as competing goals. No matter your goals, you were a meddler and that tinted every perception about you.

Anyway, where was I? Right, Elanabell. With all that said and considered, does her attitude make more sense to you now?  Seira's not Asmodeus, no matter how much Elanabell may think so, but at the same time I don't think she's a delusional idiot who has no reason to be bitching.

[Anastasia]

Yeah. In time and short of a major catastrophe Valar will hold down Kesse. 30+ wisdom and years of experience make him an outstanding candidate to pacify the region.  He stepped up to the plate quickly, as he felt he was well suited to this while Seira was struggling. This isn't an OOC statement - though I do agree with him there - but he's done this sort of thing and knows how to deal with it. Raising the standard of living is slightly more secondary to him than it is to you. His main goal is to keep them peaceful. Prosperity is a component of that, but not a direct goal like it is for Seira.

The elementals were just doing their thing. It wasn't related to any of this as much as the world awakening and a power vacuum in place. Using the mortals as chess pieces to a long delayed war was simply using the tools in front of them.  This did tie into some of Seira's sources, though it wasn't really anything caused by it. It was just what it was, and as a result a few of the elemental powers had interest.

As for the outsiders? Baator was simply doing what Baator does. They were trying to manipulate a region, gain footholds and spread diabolism. Unfortunately for them, their agent in the area underestimated Greaon. He wasn't lying nor was he pulling a direct scam by talking about the baatezu envoy, it was what it was. As for the slaad-maid, he had that summoned and bound for him as a favor. He needed powerful protection and had the resources to get it. The slaad-maid had fallen for Greaon, finding him an absolutely fascinating and capable mortal. It wanted to take him to Limbo and fill his body up with eggs, transforming him into a lesser slaad and spawning many chaos-frogs. That's why she was so agreeably subservient, even with the bonds on her.  All of this was subtext when you met Greaon, who long since stopped giving a fuck.  He's lived longer than any spymaster should and was freerolling with his life at this point. So why not have some fun in your reclining years and play the game?

Basically it was various unrelated circumstances playing together. You saw a lot of it as you were moving in the circles of power in the region.

[Anastasia]

It varied by the elemental lord. Zaaman Rul really liked Seira; they were fairly kindred spirits.  He was going to give her lots of leeway as long as she was trying her best and opposing Imix. Chan and Entemoch/Sunnis both though well enough of you as well, but not as much as Zaaman Rul. They don't automatically oppose Fire so they were quite willing to go along with you. You're a new rising power, it's worth the gamble to see if you can do it. If not, not, no huge loss for them.  This oversimplifies their views but it's good enough for the moment.

Ben-Hadar did not like you. In fact, he thought you were a delusional idiot drunk on the few scraps of power she snuck out of Creation. Some of this was due to Fire/Water, sure. A lot of it was because you two aren't compatible people.  He's experienced, cynical and cold-blooded when he needs to be. This contrasts with Seira in a sharp and obvious way. He went along with Seira more to keep an eye on her than out of any expectation of it working out, though it's possible you'd surprise him down the road. He may have had his elementals betray you he felt you were doing something he wanted no part of.

Incidentally, hounding him for the 'Greater Good' would have sped that up. He really loathes talk like that and finds it pathetically naive. He wouldn't want to make a pure enemy of Seira, though he would if he had to.

[Anastasia]

"Oh, one of my servants just got used...hm, that Fallen Eblis, right. Oh, Seira's there now, that rising mortal from...Oh! Chauntea, that's a great idea! Valar can play spy and guide Seira along! With some good doctrine in her ear she'll grow up just right!"

That's really about it. Lathander had it fall in his lap and ran with it since why the fuck not? Impulsiveness is always what will get Lathander in trouble.  (This also brushes against some fascinating theological issues with Lathander/Skyfather and Valar's faith, though that's a whole other discussion.)

[Anastasia]

No, Kascha was a free agent. Queen Morwel felt no need to spy on you, mostly because she was content you restored the lost children of Androlynne.  The rest of the assessment is more or less correct. You did have a few of the outsiders buying into your doctrine and I wanted to explore this a little later.

[Anastasia]

For most of her life Amaryl would've gone to Arborea. Not Avrandor, but as a general petitioner of the Olympian Glades.  Later on she may have gone to Brightwater for a brief time, but her faith in Waukeen was never deep. Her real faith was in Seira - by the end she would have probably gone to the Cauldron. This has some interesting spiritual connotations but it's not something I ever explored. (Not to mention possible mechanical headaches but not gonna worry about that.)

[Anastasia]

Agathaiel wasn't bad for the job. She did well enough, her only failing was blundering a bit into a much larger scheme than she could handle.

Greaon was obliquely referring the elemental problems, which he knew about. You did have a few other problems and malcontents who wanted you dead, which he could also claim he was referring to. Being vague is useful since he can slam whatever's convenient in there later.  As for what he wanted, not much? Oh, immortality does tempt a little bit, but he's strangely zen about his mortality. He's been through so much that he's grown to accept what happens when his time comes. This is one of the things that makes him a damn dangerous opponent - he's not afraid of anything that's happening.

I think your mistake with Kesse was simply not 'getting' the region. You know the typical bad RP story of 'I made a happy bard and the game turned out to be grimdark?' disasters? I think that's close to what got you. You wanted to help but you were poorly equipped to deal with the situation. It turned into Seira trying to out stubborn and out-will an entire region, culture and flow of history. It's a testament to Seira's powerful words that she managed to often win victories here, even if small ones. To be honest even now I don't think you get it - the way you attacked the details of the WW2 analogy and didn't really grasp the point it was making.

I wasn't going to stop you from interfering. It was your power and you had the resources to do so. But I wasn't going to sugarcoat what happened, either.